September’s auction market got off to a flying start with a full lineup of events offering collectors the opportunity to acquire some impressive rarities. Sotheby’s brought a mixture of scotch, Japanese, bourbon, and rye to New York, led by 57, 60, and 62 year olds from the Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection selling for $75,000, $60,000 and $30,000 respectively. Macallan Anniversary Malt 1928 50 year old garnered $55,000, and Macallan Millennium 1949 50 year old went for $20,000. Further high-value scotch selections included Glenfiddich 50 year old First release going for a hammer price of $12,000, Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 1938 60 year old which hammered at $8,500, and Black Bowmore 1964 30 year old Second Release which reached $8,000. Rye whiskey performed strongly, topped by a bottle of LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 23 year old Barrel No. 1 which hit a hammer price of $42,000. A bottle of Rathskeller Rye, a 24 year old distilled in 1983, took $22,000.
In the month that Macallan announced its new oldest whisky, Macallan TIME:SPACE, a bottle of the previous record holder, Macallan the Reach 81 year old, failed to sell at Whisky Auctioneer. Perhaps collectors are choosing to save their money to buy the new release? It was not the only high-value scotch to not find a new owner: bidding on bottles of Macallan The Red Collection 77 year old, Macallan Anniversary Malt 1928 50 year old, Macallan 52 year old, and Bowmore Arc-52 all fell short of their reserves.
September’s list of the 20-highest hammer prices may not be on track to break $1 million, but it is significantly up on August’s trading, and certainly not short of its share of stellar bottles of whisky.
Scotch Whisky Auctions
Auction ended September 8th
- Scotch: Bowmore 1969 50 year old, $26,264. The final release in the Bowmore Vaults Series.
- Japanese: Karuizawa 29 year old Cask No. 8897, $7,616. This bourbon cask matured bottling was released at the Whisky Show, London in 2014.
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- Bourbon: Double Eagle Very Rare 20 year old, $4,727. Now a regular sight at auction, these bottlings are becoming easier to acquire as the hammer prices fall.
Whisky Auctioneer August 2024 Auction
Auction ended September 9th
- Japanese: Karuizawa 50 year old Cask No. 538, $32,707. A sherry cask bottling released in 2019 from the closed cult Japanese distillery.
- Scotch: Macallan Fine & Rare 1978 39 year old, $27,082. A refill cask bottling from 2018 in the long-running series.
- Irish: Midleton Very Rare Vintage 1989, $8,177. One of the rarest vintages of the series, this Irish blend was launched by then master distiller Barry Crockett in 1984.
Sotheby’s – Whisky & Whiskey | Exceptional Scotch & Epic Rye
Auction ended September 12th
- Scotch: Macallan in Lalique 57 year old, $75,000. The third edition in the Six Pillars collection.
- Rye: LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 23 year old Barrel No. 1, $42,000. Competition remains strong whenever LeNell’s bottlings appear.
- Bourbon: Van Winkle Special Reserve 20 year old Cork N Bottle, $16,000. A prized bottling chosen by Julian Van Winkle III for the Kentucky liquor store.
Lot of the Week
There’s more to this bottle than its attractive tin packaging, though for some collectors, that would be reason enough to bid on this pint of Prohibition-era Four Roses. The tagline on the tin reads, “An alcoholic stimulant made from the fermented mash of grain,” which probably wouldn’t pass muster these days as the basis of a successful marketing campaign. But for a prescription whiskey, the presentation of this bourbon is surprisingly decorative. This bottling was produced prior to September 22nd 1917 by Albert B. Blanton, Distillery No. 2, 7th district of Kentucky and bottled in bond under government supervision at the Frankfort Distillery. The rear flap of this container is included, though detached. Blanton started work at the George T. Stagg distillery in 1897, worked his way up to become its president in 1921, acquiring one of the rare government licenses to distill for medicinal purposes during Prohibition.
Lot: Four Roses 100 Proof
Sold at: Unicorn Auctions, September Spirits Auction, September 9th 2024
Hammer Price: $5,250
Upcoming Auctions
October 3rd , Bonhams, Edinburgh: Highland Park Rebus 30 year old, a very rare bottling created to mark the 30th anniversary of Ian Rankin’s Inspector John Rebus books.
October 14th , Whiskyauction.com: Gordon & MacPhail Longmorn 1964 46 year old, this bottle shows the depth of color that can be achieved when whisky is aged for decades in a first-fill sherry cask.
October 25th , Sotheby’s, New York: Although the catalog has yet to be unveiled, this live auction opens at 10 a.m.
